For All Eternity - Part 4
Maaike
Ratings: NC-17
Warnings: Maul/original female character. Romance in the old tradition.
Disclaimer: Lord Maul, Lord Sidious, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Star Wars Universe belong to George Lucas. No profit made, no copyright infringements intended. However, Aicha is mine.
Summary: Lord Maul is betrothed to Princess Aicha by order of his Master. Both must come to terms with the reality of the situation.
In this chapter, the couple are bound together by Sidious.
Feedback: Sithlordess@planet.nl
Acknowledgement: May I thank MaulMaus for her beta-reading of my sometimes funny English. You are my friend and encouragement. And to Dark Lady, who is my inspiration and has such a lovely way with words.
For All Eternity - Part 4
Early morning brought a glorious sunrise over Coruscant with soft pink clouds in the sky and the buildings glittering in the early morning sun. There was that special rush in the air that seemed to chase away the dark fears of the night, and for all those living in the luxurious upper levels on Coruscant, it brought a fresh new hope for the day about to begin.
Even
for those living on the lower, and underground levels of the planet, where no
natural light ever penetrated, every day brought a new chance of making it out
of the harsh living conditions. Over breakfast the workers and the poor hoped
and prayed that maybe today would be the day when they would see the sun. It
became almost a ritual greeting when they said: “Maybe today we will see the
sun!”
Within Lord Sidious’s concealed Temple, Aicha stirred in Lord Maul’s arms and knew that today she would be brought before the Sith Master and the thought weighed heavily in her heart. Before she had spoken one word, Lord Maul kissed her dark head and his strong fingers lightly drew an invisible pattern on her body. “My Master puts you to the test today to see if you are worthy to be consort to a Sith. It will be hard but you must endure it. Remember I am beside you, I will protect you.” His voice was determined and as Aicha looked up at him, she saw the grim lines on his face and she knew he meant what he said.
“Khameir, he is so powerful! You can never hope to stand up to him and win!” She was afraid, Lord Sidious was so much stronger than he, how could he ever hope to protect her?
“Do you doubt me, my Lady?” Maul sounded angry. “You were given to me and I will not lose face by having you taken from me.”
“No,
I do not doubt you, but I know he can destroy you in a heartbeat, no matter how
powerful you are,” Aicha replied in a low voice, lowering her eyes before his
fierce gaze.
“Yes,
he can. And maybe he will some day. But not this time.” Maul looked at her,
his mouth set in a determined line. “Now go and get ready.”
Aicha nodded and got up to take a shower and dress in the long, black gown with the black veil, which Lord Maul had given her, saying that according to tradition, all women lucky enough to be bonded to a Sith Lord wore such clothing on their wedding-day.
“You are honoured, my Lady,” Maul said as Aicha joined him after dressing and he took her hand to kiss her fingers. “There are not many considered worthy to be bonded according to the Sith tradition.
Aicha’s
lips were pressed into a thin line as she smoothed the front of her dress, “I may be honoured, but I do not feel very confident about this.” She took a deep breath and nodded to Maul, putting her hand on his arm as he led her from his quarters down the corridors to the private apartments of Lord Sidious.
The two figures dressed in the deepest black entered a large room, empty save for a large black leather chair behind a desk, on which the only feature was an intricately carved, bronze stand on which rested a lightsaber.
The walls and the floor were smooth, shining black marble and the ceiling so high that it was hardly visible in the low light. There were no windows, no ornaments, nothing in the room that could distract the meditations of the Sith Lord residing in it. The dark atmosphere in the room held danger and terror. Aicha felt it surge her around like an evil, suffocating vortex, making it hard for her to breathe. A shiver ran down her spine and she moved a little closer to her consort, needing the strength of his nearness.
Suddenly the leather chair turned and she faced the Sith Master. In the dimly lit room, she felt tendrils of the dark side creeping out to her, probing her mind, appraising her. Her vision dimmed and she could not see clearly, but she sensed all the more. She dizzied and her fingers dug into the thick cloth of Maul’s sleeve as the Sith’s probe became stronger, invading her mind and brushing aside her privacy.
Lord Maul and Aicha approached Lord Sidious and knelt in humility on the floor, Lord Maul on one knee, his head bent low in homage to his Master, Aicha, being a woman, on both knees, her forehead touching the floor in front of her, so she was bowing lower than Maul. Although she realised humility was expected of her, the princess felt a tinge of irritation at being forced to be submissive and even more so than her husband.
Then the harsh, cruel voice of Lord Sidious echoed through the room: “Lord Maul! You may rise. You, Lady Aicha, approach me!”
Aicha rose to her feet, her knees a bit unsteady as she stepped closer to Lord Sidious. Standing before him, he ordered her to remove the veil. As she looked up to look into the face of Darth Sidious… she saw the most awe-inspiring being she had ever encountered.
The dark powers coming from the Sith Master made Aicha’s eyes widen in fear as she wondered if this was a superhuman being or maybe even a God of the darkness.
He
wore the hood of his cloak pulled down over his forehead as if to conceal his
face. Yet, as she stood close to him, she could see his eyes, like cold, blue
crystals and sense him piercing her soul. His mouth, turned down at the corners,
was cruel and merciless and he emanated waves of evil and darkness.
Startled
by the intensity of his gaze, involuntarily she took a step back, but Lord
Sidious’s commanding voice ordered: “Stand still woman!”
He placed his cold hand on her forehead, the other between her breasts, almost causing Aicha to cry out in horror and revulsion. With difficulty, she suppressed a shudder of distaste as she felt his hands upon her. She felt how the Sith Lord probed her mind, searching through every corner of it, pushing aside any resistance without pity, while at the same time it was as if he took her heart in his hands making it stand still.
Aicha had no idea how long the Sith Lord held her, the blood drained from her face and she struggled to draw breath, but still the agony of his probing of her was not yet at an end.
Darth Sidious placed both hands on her abdomen and she felt how he used the Force of the dark side to inspect her body. The dark energy-tendrils flowed through her, almost as if looking for flaws inside her. This intimate probing of her body caused Aicha to shudder again in horror and she heard Lord Maul’s low angered growl. She knew how he hated his Master for touching her, but still he restrained himself.
Then,
just as quickly as he had grasped her, Darth Sidious let her go and she nearly
collapsed.
“Good.
Your mind is strong with the Force; your breasts are heavy and your womb ready
to conceive. You will serve Lord Maul well.” Lord Sidious said. “Maul, you
will see to it that she conceives as soon as possible. I want your children,
strong with the Force to serve my Empire. When she has fulfilled her duty, she
is to be destroyed and her children shall be raised in the dark side by my
servants.”
Aicha gave a quick intake of breath in fury at the Sith Lord’s contempt for her as a sentient being and tried to speak, but before she could utter a sound, Lord Maul stepped forward as if to protect his consort.
“No!
My Master,” Lord Maul’s voice was filled with suppressed rage and his fists
clenched and unclenched as he fought to control his rage. “I will serve you
and obey you. It is my sole purpose in this life. But no one takes my consort
from me, nor will I allow my children to be raised by servants. I have the right
to keep her according to Sith Tradition. She belongs to me and will remain so
until the end of her life and beyond.” His yellow eyes flashed as he faced his
Master. “If you will not allow me the right to my consort, I demand ‘na’chartesh’;
the challenge. I challenge you, my Master, for the right to my mate.”
Lord
Sidious’s haunting, cackling laugh sounded through the room. “Challenge me? You
will challenge me? Good! You shall have your challenge, Lord Maul.” The Sith
Master laughed again and faced his apprentice as he took off his black cloak. He
held out his hand and the Force brought his lightsaber from its stand into his
waiting palm.
Lord Maul unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and took on a fighter’s stance. Both Sith Lords reached out to the dark side and drew it around them like a shield of armour, Lord Sidious standing perfectly still, awaiting the first move from his apprentice.
As Aicha looked on she put her hand to her breast in fear. Now that the Sith Master had taken off his cloak she could see his face, the hard, blue eyes, the cruel lines around his mouth. She had somehow believed Lord Sidious would be much older, but although his hair was grey, Aicha saw how strong and muscled his body was. Underneath his cloak he was wearing a tight, black tunic, revealing a broad chest and a flat stomach. There was no sign of fat or slackness anywhere on his powerful torso.
Maul ignited his lightsaber and made a quick lunge forward, leaning his shoulder to the left while at the same time twisting his weapon to strike at his Master.
Lord Sidious made a lightning move to the right, at the same time igniting his own lightsaber, which glowed a dark purple. His movements were as graceful as Maul’s but he fought with the ease of an experienced older warrior, while Maul fought with the rage of his Zabrak heritage as well as his Sith training.
The Sith Master made a fast, high kick at his apprentice, but Maul whirled clear of his Master’s shiny, black boot with only an inch to spare. Both men circled each other, lunging with their lightsabers, taking high leaps aided by the Force, making it a battle between two exceptional fighters. With the elegance of dancers they moved over the smooth floor of Lord Sidious’s quarters, their soft-booted feet hardly making a sound.
Maul now aimed one of his high kicks at Sidious’s head, trying to knock him out, but his Master side-stepped gracefully, at the same time striking Maul hard between the ribs with his fist. The younger Sith growled in fury and swung around, trying another lunge at his Master. He came in quickly from the right, then fell to one knee and stabbed upward with his lightsaber from the left.
Again Lord Sidious jumped out of the way, but Darth Maul had put him on the wrong foot and the Sith Master snarled as Maul’s weapon wounded his right bicep and the smell of ozone from the lightsabers mixed with that of burnt skin.
Instantly Maul was back on his feet, trying to take advantage of his Master’s wound. The red fire of the lightsaber danced through the air as Maul tried to disarm his Master.
The Sith Master seemed to have enough of the fight now. He made a fast, fluid move forward with his lightsaber while at the same time his left hand threw a bolt of Force-energy at Maul, who stumbled backwards and lost his footing. He fell hard on his back and found himself lying on the highly polished floor with his Master’s lightsaber at his throat.
Lord Sidious’s snarl was low and menacing. “I have not given you permission to have feelings, Lord Maul. You are already fighting like a weakling, without concentration. That makes you unfit to be a Sith and since you lost the challenge I shall destroy you as well as the woman.” Darth Sidious raised his hand, clutching Lord Maul’s throat with the Force.
Maul felt the pain of his Master’s Force-grip sear through him; agonisingly slowly his breath was forced out of him. He heard the blood pounding in his ears and the room became black as he struggled to get air into his lungs.
But
because of his agony, Maul’s hatred for his Master grew and it fed his dark
rage. His mind reached out to his Master’s and through their Force bond he
flung his rage at Lord Sidious. “You may destroy me, my Master, but I will
not release her.”
Lord Sidious gave no indication that he had noticed Maul’s hatred, but Maul knew his Master was aware of every thought of those present in the room with him.
As the flames of pain shot through his body like red-hot swords, Maul called upon the dark side for strength. He realised that the end may be near and he wanted to die with the dignity of a Sith Lord. The waves of darkness Maul summoned around him mingled with those of Lord Sidious, creating a dense atmosphere of evil. Death was near, he felt his heart begin to struggle and beat irregularly from the punishment he was receiving from Lord Sidious.
Aicha was filled with horror as she heard Maul fight to breathe and saw how his life was forced out of him. With an angry cry she leapt to face Darth Sidious, trying to attack him with her nails, but the Sith Lord merely laughed and pushed her aside with the Force.
Fear grew within Aicha, but she battled it down and turned it into anger. For the first time in her life she felt the power of the dark side flow through her body and soul, giving her a strength she did not know she possessed. “Let him go! I will not let you destroy him! If you want my death, then kill me, but do not hurt him!” Aicha raged. She no longer saw the Sith Lord, all she saw was a hostile being intent on destroying the man she loved and she had lost all fear of him.
Again Sidious laughed, the sound hideous in the cloying atmosphere of the darkened room. He released Lord Maul, who took a laboured breath of air as he lay crumpled on the smooth, black floor, gagging painfully.
With the purple blade of the lightsaber still almost touching Lord Maul’s throat, Lord Sidious turned to Aicha. “You, Lady Aicha, are you willing to die for him?” he asked and once again his hand moved, causing his Apprentice to writhe on the floor as he felt the pain his Master inflicted.
“Yes! Yes, I will die for him!” Aicha raised herself and faced Darth Sidious fearlessly, defiance blazing from her dark eyes. “I will die for him,” she repeated and waited for him to inflict his punishment. She felt insignificant, how could she stand up to Lord Sidious if even her consort could not? But Aicha felt the dark side flow through her, giving her extra courage and she stood her ground.
The
lightsaber at Maul’s throat was deactivated suddenly. “Maul! Get to your
feet at once!” Lord Sidious ordered as he watched Darth Maul struggle to his
feet, and stood beside his consort. “Very good! I chose your consort well. She
is brave, for not many dare stand against a Sith. I could have destroyed her in
a heartbeat, yet even knowing that, she tried to defend you.” Lord Sidious’s
blue eyes went from Maul to Aicha and then back to Maul again. “And you, Lord
Maul, have given me another sign of worthiness. You were ready to challenge me.
Had either of you cowered in fear before me, you would indeed have been
destroyed, both of you, for the inferior beings you were. I do not want a
simpering fool to be the mother of Sith children and I do not want an apprentice
who knows fear, even of me. Lady Aicha you will be bonded to Lord Maul in the
Sith manner. You may leave now.” With
a small gesture of his hand, Lord Sidious dismissed them from his presence as
well as his thoughts.
“Yes, my Master,” Lord Maul replied and bowed, taking Aicha’s hand into his own as he did so.
They walked back to Lord Maul’s apartments in silence. As soon as they had entered the privacy of the living room Aicha flung her arms around Lord Maul and hid her head in his shoulder.
“You fought for me!” Aicha’s voice was hoarse with emotion.
“Of course I fought for you. Did I not tell you I would protect you?” Maul’s arms pressed her close to his chest.
“But he was going to kill you!” Aicha cried. She raised her head and met his golden eyes.
“It
is his right to kill me,” Lord Maul stated, his voice still rough from the
treatment Lord Sidious had given him. “But I would not give in without a
fight, so I challenged him. It is an old Sith tradition and it was a matter of
principle for me. One day I shall challenge Lord Sidious to become Sith Master
and then he shall die at my hands and I in turn will rule. Until then I shall be
allowed my rights as a Sith Lord.” Maul eyes went over Aicha’s face. “However my Master approves of you. If not, he would never have given us the honour of being bonded by him according to the Sith Code. We will be bonded a third time, beloved, but be prepared, Sith bonding is harsh. There is no tenderness in it.”
Suddenly Aicha’s fear left her and her anger rose as she thought of how the Sith Lord had treated her. As a Princess at the Palace she had always been approached with the utmost reverence. “How dare he treat me like this! How dare he! I am a princess!“
But Maul gave a mirthless laugh. “The fact that you are a princess means nothing to a Sith, not to my Master and not to me.” He swallowed and rubbed his throat. “Aicha, nothing could make stronger the bond between us, but it is my Master’s way of honouring us. We must comply. The bonding will take place at midnight. After dinner we must meditate and prepare ourselves.”
“If it is your wish I will comply, Khameir. I do not want to meet with Lord Sidious ever again, but because he is your Master and you honour him I shall do the same. It will be as you wish,” Aicha said, taking Lord Maul’s hand and kissing it.
Again you honour me, my Lady,” he said, his golden eyes gleaming for a moment. “Come with me, I will show you the Temple and my training-rooms.” He brushed Aicha’s lips with his fingers and together they went to the lower floors of the Sith Temple where his training-rooms were located.
Once there, he showed Aicha to a seat at the end of the room, where she sat down. He took off his tunic, granting her another look at his perfect body and she felt a soft stir of desire inside her.
By the way Maul grinned at her she knew he read her thoughts and they pleased him. He meditated for a short period before he began warming up and stretching, giving Aicha another opportunity to appreciate his powerful body as he made a long series of slow elegant moves. Every muscle was flexed and warmed up before he began his actual combat training.
For the next few hours Aicha delightedly watched his high kicks, his leaps and turnings in midair, the moves that were almost those of a dancer. There seemed to be no end to the graceful gyrations of his body. Sometimes he moved too swiftly for her eyes to follow, but always the moves were lithe, fluid and of incredible beauty.
Suddenly Lord Maul reached out with his left hand and using the Force called his lightsaber to him, he leapt up into the air catching it, somersaulting and activating it with a sharp snap and hissing sound before he landed on one knee. After that came a long routine of twirling the lightsaber over his head, around his body, lunging forward or making fast blows to the left or right with it.
Aicha tried to follow the whirls of the lightsaber, almost hypnotized by the fiery red blades as they cut through the air in the training-room. The lightsaber made a humming sound as Maul whirled it over his head, lunging with it. As the blades danced with incredible speed, the scent of ozone coming from it filled the air.
Nothing existed for Aicha any longer, except the blinding light from Maul’s lightsaber and the light thud of his booted feet on the smooth floor until finally he turned his body again, somersaulted and landed lightly on the balls of his feet. The lightsaber danced high over his head again and finally it came to rest in his left hand where he deactivated it.
Aicha noticed Lord Maul was hardly breathing any faster than when he had started his training and only a light sheen of sweat covered his body as he walked towards her. She handed him his tunic, relishing his scent as he stood near her. His skin was shiny and she could not resist touching him. She kissed his hard chest, breathing in his sandalwood-like scent.
Maul’s arms went around her and they enjoyed a brief moment of intimacy. Aicha felt him press her close to him and opened her mouth to lick some of the sweat off his skin, tasting him. From the soft growling sound he made deep in his throat, she knew her touch excited him and she reluctantly released him to look into his eyes, drowning in their depths once more.
“I must take a shower now,” Maul said, “ and then we must cleanse ourselves before we are bonded.”
Aicha smiled mischievously. “Maybe you need help with this cleaning.”
He
grinned and took her hand to lead her back to his quarters.
Without looking Lord Maul threw his lightsaber on the bed as soon as they were inside his quarters and pulled Aicha with him to the bathroom. She went into his arms in one fluid move, finding his mouth for a hungry kiss.
“You smell so good,” she whispered against the smooth skin of his chest.
He groaned softly and hurriedly took her dress off, impatiently kicking off his boots and his pants as he did so, leaving them in a heap on the floor. The hot water splashed down on them as they stepped eagerly into the shower, kissing and caressing each other.
Aicha’s hands wandered quickly and longingly over his body as he stroked and touched her. She moaned as his kisses became fiercer and his touching more intimate. He guided her hand to his hard manhood and moved his hips against her. The bathroom slowly filled with steam, shrouding them and creating a small world consisting of only the two of them as he once again pulled her to him and entered her yearning body.
Aicha’s first day at the Sith Temple had passed without her noticing it and only when she came back into the living room did she realise how hungry she was. The servants had already put a light dinner on the table in the living room and Lord Maul joined Aicha at the table.
“After
we have eaten we must meditate and have the ritual cleansing bath to prepare
ourselves before we leave for the Shrine where Lord Sidious will perform the
ceremony of bonding us,” said Lord Maul, his manner sombre.
“Ritual
bath?” Aicha asked curiously.
"I will explain it to you later," Maul answered shortly.
After
dinner they sat down on the highly polished black floor in the living room. The
light from two candles created soft, flickering shadows on their faces and
incense burning on the low table in front of them sent curls of smoke to the
ceiling. Sitting in a posture of meditation and closing their eyes, they allowed
the Force to focus their minds, preparing themselves to be bonded in the Sith
way.
Aicha felt apprehensive, as she did not know what a Sith bonding involved, and, having been in the presence of Darth Sidious once before, she felt frightened and unsure of herself. But over the turmoil in her mind she heard Lord Maul’s voice speaking to her, reassuring her and strengthening her.
The
sandalwood-scent of the incense wafted her way as Aicha prayed and meditated.
She felt the warmth from Maul’s body next to her as they sat on the cool
floor. His command of the Force was so great that Aicha sensed how he made it
surround her like a protective cloak and she shifted her body to be even closer
to him.
She prayed to the Goddess, begging her to give her the courage to face Lord Sidious without flinching during the coming ceremony. As always, when praying to the Goddess, she felt the familiar peace she experienced when praying back home on Thebae. The Goddess had guided her through her life so far and Aicha was sure She would not forsake her now. Had the Goddess not been kind to her when she sent the passion for Lord Maul into her heart? And once again in the cold and snow on Thebae after they crashed, had the Goddess not protected her then? Aicha suddenly felt comforted and certain the Goddess would not desert her now.
Time
passed while they meditated. Darkness had already fallen over Coruscant when
Lord Maul opened his eyes and rose to his feet. “Come, my Lady, we will go to
the ritual bath now.” He held Aicha’s hand as they descended the stairs to a
room near the Sith Shrine.
The
room was lit with many candles and Aicha saw smooth walls covered with shiny
black tiles that reflected the candlelight. In the middle of the room was a
large square basin, with the same black tiles as on the walls. The basin had
three steps leading into it and as Aicha looked closer, she saw the basin was
deep enough to completely submerge oneself in it.
A little anxiously Aicha turned around to look at Maul and when he nodded and started to undress, she followed his lead and after undressing put her clothes on a rack by the wall.
Maul went down the steps into the water, holding out his hand to Aicha and as her feet touched the water, she found it pleasantly warm. Still holding Maul’s hand, she slid into the water and looked at her consort, wondering what to do next.
“On Korriban, at the ancient Temple of the Sith Order, there is a spring. It produces the water that the Sith used for ritual purposes such as initiation rituals or the blessing of a new weapon,” Maul explained. “Korriban is very far from here, so collecting water from the ancient spring is only done every few years. Therefore as soon as we are in the bath, a servant will open a hatch to a container in which the water from Korriban is kept. A small amount of the sacred water then mingles with the water in this bath and sanctifies it.”
Aicha listened intently to him. “That is a wonderful ritual, Khameir. What do we do now?”
“You
submerge completely, seeing to it that the water touches every part of your
body. Every inch, every hair must be wet.”
Lord
Maul let himself go underwater, allowing the water to embrace him and as his
head emerged again, he gestured to his consort and watched as Aicha went
underwater.
As soon as her head went under, Aicha felt the dark powers of the water surround her. It was almost as if the water was suddenly icy cold. And were those dark shadows she saw swimming around her?
Gasping she came to the surface again with her teeth chattering, only to find that the water was still pleasantly warm.
Maul inspected her hair and shook his head. “You must do it again, not every hair on your head was touched by the water.” He took Aicha’s hand and together they slid underwater again.
With Maul’s hand in hers, Aicha overcame her reluctance and stayed submerged until she felt Maul pull her to the surface.
“Yes.
Now we are cleansed and ready,” Maul said after inspecting her again.
They stepped out of the basin and wrapped themselves in the waiting black towels, Aicha struggling to get her long hair dry before she pulled the black veil over it.
“I do wish I had time to dry my hair properly.” She frowned as she thought about not having the additional mental support of knowing she looked groomed and tidy when appearing before Lord Sidious.
Maul could not suppress a faint smile. “The eternal woman.” But immediately he was serious again. “Come, my Master is ready, he awaits us,” Lord Maul said when they were dressed and took Aicha’s hand.
They went down the corridor to the Sith Shrine. It was very dark inside, as there were only a few candles to give light, the spicy scent of incense was in the air, making it so heavy that Aicha coughed softly. The only distinguishing feature in the room was a large, black marble altar, in front of which Lord Sidious awaited, his hood raised and his hands tucked inside the sleeves of his cloak.
Both
Aicha and Lord Maul again knelt before him and he held his hands over their
heads as if giving them a dark benediction. Aicha felt a chill descending upon
her, the chill quickly becoming a biting cold, causing her body to shake
violently. At the same time she was being probed by the same dark presence as
before.
The
Sith Master was searching her soul as he had before, mercilessly invading every
private corner of her mind and not a single thought or emotion escaped his
probe.
Aicha
experienced rage and hatred as the room filled with the dark side, it surged
around her, making her catch her breath with anger. It seemed as if an evil
presence stood behind her and she had to fight the urge to look over her
shoulder to confront it. Her head throbbed and she felt she was going to lose
consciousness when suddenly Lord Sidious dropped his hands and faced the altar.
She gasped loudly in relief and shook her head to clear it.
When
Darth Sidious turned to face them again he held in his hands a heavy, gold chain
and a small, gold knife. He gestured for Lord Maul and Aicha to hold out their
arms and with a swift move, made a small cut on each of their wrists, then
pressed the bleeding wounds together and tied the gold chain around their arms.
As
Lord Maul’s blood mingled with hers Aicha felt his darkness engulf her.
However she felt no fear of him but merely embraced his darkness with her love
and tenderness, giving him her gift of light and peace.
“Lord
Maul, Lady Aicha, be aware that this bond can never be broken. In the entire
Universe there is no power strong enough to break the union of a Sith and his
mate. As you have been bonded in your previous lives, you shall now be bonded in
this, for all eternity, until the Universe is no longer. When all creation has
ended, your immortal spirits will prevail and live. Let it be known that Lord
Maul and Lady Aicha are now one being, incomplete without the other. So be
it!”
Lord
Sidious’s voice was strong and clear and as he gestured them both to rise, his
crystal clear blue eyes burned into theirs. “Lady Aicha, be worthy of Lord
Maul. Lord Maul, be worthy of Lady Aicha.” And after taking the gold chain
from their wrists, he took their hands in his and closed his eyes.
Aicha’s
legs still trembled, but she bowed deeply like Maul did and slowly left the Sith
Shrine.